The Paro Post

We're some sickly folks.

2012-01-31T06:09:00.002-06:00

Yep. We have the plague again.

As soon as Jax's nose started running last week I feared for the worst and stuffed every member of our family (except Jory...she got it through my milk though maybe, lol) full of Vitamin C. Obviously my efforts were futile, and we've all (except Jory, ironically) been sick again.

Slightly unbelievable. I love me some winter but this cold & flu season can take a hike.

My voice totally sounds like a man and I have about 834 surfaces to sanitize before Jax's party on Saturday.

Oh yeah, that is THIS WEEK.

So so so much to do, when all I want to do is drown myself in decongestants and sleep for 12 hours straight, which isn't even possible since I'm nursing and have a baby who is notsomuch a fan of the sleep.

Completely exhausted.Just not enough so to sleep, apparently.

Ok I'm done whining. For now. I think/hope we may be on the mend.

But look, cute kids!

I have given up any dreams I had of getting them both smiling in a picture together. Just not gonna happen. They sure are cute together though.

Yeah, I bribed with chocolate again. If I didn't, I wouldn't have any Jax pictures, and I NEED JAX PICTURES. So chocolate it is.

So someone actually insinuated that I play favorites because I have 200x more pictures of Jory than of Jax. That makes me slightly rageful, but here's the thing. Jory? She sits in one spot. She can roll here and there but for the most part, she is about as stationary as she looks in the above picture. And Jax? This is what he did when I asked him to say cheese for the camera.

He does that, or this. Where he gets 2 inches from my 50mm zoom lens, which usually means it can't focus. It happened to be able to this one time though, pretty cute. ;)

WHY DID NOBODY TELL ME THAT 2.5-3.5 is the hardest.age.in.the.world?

One minute he is sweetly smiling and telling me he loves me and blessing me when I sneeze and the next minute he is throwing down his toys and doing this:

Not even joking, here's an example of conversations we have when he throws a fit.
Me: Jax, 5 more minutes and we're going to get jammies on and get ready for bed.
Jax: NO! I no wanna go to bed! I wanna play with tractor/Thomas/train table!
Me: You can play for just a few more minutes!
Jax: No I no wanna minutes!
Travis: Don't tell Mommy no, Jax.
Jax: No I no wanna don't tell Mommy no!
Me: Jax do you want to wear your McQueen jammies?
Jax: No! I no wanna wear!

It doesn't even make sense most of the time, he just says no to EVERYTHING.

I always heard people tell me 3 is worse than 2. That doesn't sound like it offers me any solace, but this didn't start at all til 2.5 so I am telling myself that it can't last longer than a year, right? RIGHT??? It has to be over at 3.5, it just has to.

Jory thinks any and everything Jax does is just completely hilarious. He could say "hi" and she will bust up laughing, I love it! Only problem is that Jax is too busy taking Thomas and James to the steam works or the dieselworks or whatever to even pay her a tiny bit of attention. Every once in a while though, he will stop and stoop down to talk to her. And sister soaks it up, as you can see!

Jax is in jammies because he's still somewhat sick and said he wanted to wear them. The kid knows comfy, I can't blame him one bit.

He did just start saying hi to her every time she wakes up. As soon as he sees her he says "Hi baby sister! Hi BayJoey (baby Jory)! What's goin on?? Hi!" Melts me every time!

Faking excitement so I'll stop taking pictures, maybe? ;)

So these two may keep me from getting any sleep, and make me want to rip my hair out at least 23 times a day, but I'm pretty lucky to call them mine. :)

Grandpa John Surprised Us!

2012-01-31T01:05:00.002-06:00

Last Sunday afternoon, we heard a knock at the door and Trav said "Who would be coming to our door on a Sunday?" and went to open it.

I heard happy chatter from the living room so I went in to see Trav saying hi to his stepdad, John! He was headed down south (all the way from Illinois!) for a business meeting and thought he'd stop in for a few days, so fun!

Aside from the fact that I am still embarassed about the state of wreckage that my house was in, it was quite the pleasant surprise! ;)

We really enjoyed having him here and Jax had fun playing with "Grandpa John"! John brought down their ride-on John Deere tractor for Jax (which surprisingly I do not have a picture of just yet) and he totally loves it. Plus, there's a little hitch thing on the back for him to pull his wagon around like a "trailer" which he thinks is the coolest thing ever.

I'm gonna go ahead and admit that we bribed Jax with chocolate to get him to sit still for a picture and that is why his mouth looks like this. And I took 10 photos of this pose and this is the least ridiculous, if you can believe that.

The last night John was here, we went to eat at Rudy's and met up with my great aunt and uncle who were heading down to South Texas for vacation! So fun to see them and let the kids meet them. Even if they were both too crabby for pictures and this is sadly the best we could do, lol.

That evening Jax told us to put Jory in the ottoman box. So we did, and she loved it, clearly. I only wish her face was in focus in this picture!!

A few people have asked where we got her amber teething necklace...we bought it on MamaBargains.com but you can get them here! We love that thing, she is a much happier baby with it on. :)

Thanks for coming down, John! Come again soon & next time bring the whole clan!!!

Fancy New Digs, eh?

2012-01-29T23:57:00.000-06:00

What do you think of the new design? I kind of love the pops of color! The gray & pink seemed a little too muted for my style. ;)

The amazing illustration is courtesy of Laura over at Eight Days Designs! Don't you love it? Clearly she did me some favors in the looks department but could Jax's illustration look any more like him?? I don't think so! Love it!

Also, I've (finally) added back and updated the navigation links at the top. Hopefully it's a bit more user friendly and fun to look at now. :)

Jax is POTTY TRAINED!

2012-01-26T02:03:00.001-06:00

(except for naps & nights...he stays dry at naps usually but I'm at a loss for what to do since he pees so much overnight. input by experienced mamas is much appreciated. ;))

This probably goes without saying, but if you're not a mama, I'm doubting you will enjoy this post very much. Talk about pee, poop & nakedness ahead!

So yeah! Can you believe it? I can't. I was sure his 3rd birthday would come and go and he'd still be wearing his giant size 5 diapers.

I think I have mentioned before, but Jax was scared of the potty. He just didn't want to sit on it, definitely wouldn't "go" on it, wanted nothing to do with it. I chalked it up to stubbornness + sensory issues and just let it be, because obviously, he wasn't ready. or so I thought.
My dad (who potty trained me and my two siblings) kept hounding me about when I was going to train him and telling me to just do it. I kind of ignored him and was irritated by his comments, so I said "You know what? You're watching him while I'm in Chicago...I'll bring his potty and his underwear and you can have at it."

I chuckled a bit inside because I knew Jax would shove that potty training nonsense right in his face, and maybe then he'd quit with the comments about it.

Well then my mom was on the phone with him while we were up in Chicago and I heard her say "WHAT? Jax is peeing on the potty!" I was seriously in shock, haha. I honestly am no help with advice for getting over the first hurdle of getting him to go on the potty for the first time, but I'm pretty positive there was bribery involved. That, and Jax thinks the world of my dad and will seriously do anything that he thinks is "cool".

So when we made it back, he peed once on the potty at their house, but my dad had put him in a diaper to go places, and he was wearing pants and underwear around the house, so he had accidents at home and was peeing in his diaper while they were out and about.

He definitely wasn't potty trained when I got him home, but we were over that first hurdle and from there it was pretty easy.

I had read up on the 3 Day Potty Training method and while I pretty much know it wouldn't have been possible to train him in 3 days flat, I followed some of their basic principles. Here's my pointers & what worked for us.

As soon as we got to our house, I put the diapers upstairs in his closet and stripped him down completely naked.
I canceled all appointments/errands I had planned for that whole week so that we could stay home, and that he could stay naked. Even this week, 19 days after starting, we aren't going anywhere during the day yet, I don't feel ready to juggle a baby and a toddler in a bathroom stall, haha.
I put his potty in the hall between the kitchen & living room when he was downstairs, and up in his play room when he was up playing with his train table.
I put him in Pull Ups for nap (which he always keeps dry). I am going to get a waterproof mattress pad for his bed then I will probably stop with the Pull Ups.
I put him in a diaper for bedtime because 1) Pull Ups are PRICEY, y'all. 2) He pees so much that he would totally soak through a Pull Up.
When he is awake, he is naked or in underwear only (at home) and when we go somewhere, he wears underwear, not diapers or Pull Ups. I have extra clothes, towel, underwear, wipes in the car, if he has an accident we would change it and move on.
We started him on both the "big" potty and his little one. That kept him from being afraid of the big toilet when he needs to go out in public. He much prefers his small one at home, but will go anywhere. We tried one of those cushy seats that goes on top of a big toilet seat, but he is not interested in that at all.
Every time he pees he gets 1 Whopper (you know, the gross milk ball candy that is always leftover at Halloween because nobody likes them? Jax loves them.) and when he poops he gets 2. He doesn't always need this incentive, he asks for them about half of the time, usually after going #2, and I always reward him with one if he asks, but now I don't have to remind him of a reward.
Positive reinforcement goes a LONG way with Jax. We celebrated, danced, clapped, and made a huge deal out of it. And often still do. Every time he goes, he beams with pride and says "I DID IT!"

Naked Painting

This has nothing to do with PTing but it's from while it was going on and I love these:

He's going to kill me for this pic someday. ;)

We have been at it for almost 3 weeks now. He had one accident the first time we were out and about but it was my fault for not being diligent about asking if he needed to go, which we do have to remember when he's wearing pants over his underwear or he will forget. But, we've been out multiple times since then and he has not had a problem peeing on public toilets, thankfully!

We don't really have accidents at home (I think we have had 1, he peed on his road rug up in the play room because his potty wasn't up there and he didn't make it to the bathroom. Gotta keep that potty in his sight!) and going #2 on the potty came pretty naturally too. He has gone in his Pull Up when he woke up from his nap because I didn't get him soon enough after he woke up, but he didn't pee in it, just poop.

Overall, he's doing so awesome with it. Things usually bite me in the butt when I blog about them going well, so I had to hold off until now to even really mention it. ;)

So...I went to Chicago!

2012-01-25T13:34:00.001-06:00

My aunt & uncle (the ones whose wedding we attended in Hawaii when Jax was a baby) are expecting a baby boy VERY soon! So my mom, sister, me & Jory all headed up to help her celebrate & throw her a baby shower.

And quite the shower it was, we pulled out all the stops since this little guy is much anticipated & he deserves a special celebration.

Jax & Travis stayed at my parents' house with my dad, since it's the same distance for him to get to work from there as it is from our house. I missed them both a ton, I've never been away from Jax for that many days at a time!

My camera battery died on the way to the airport, before our trip even started, and of course I didn't think to bring my extra or my charger, so all of these pics are from my sister's camera or my phone.

It was Jory's first plane ride! (Ironically, Jax's first plane ride was at about exactly the same age, and was going to Dorene's wedding! :))

(We flew standby & my sister didn't get on the flight, so she took a picture of the plane Mom, Jory and I got out on.)

Jory was AMAZING on the plane. She slept on the way up, played, ate, and slept on the way down. She did that on the returning flight too, so thankful she didn't scream the whole time like I half expected her to! ;)

We hadn't seen my Aunt Dorene in over a year, so we were very excited to get there and help her get ready for her new addition!

The day after we got there we had to hit up Noodles & Company since I was needing their Wisconsin Mac N Cheese. It was a staple for me when I was up at school (hello, freshman 15 20.) and I miss it so much!

As you may know, I went to school up in the Chicago area. It's where I met Travis, and I lived there for 4 years, so I have several of great friends in the area that I never really get to see.

One of the days I was there, I drove to our old "stomping grounds" and met a friend for coffee. So crazy to drive through with my baby, I wish Trav had been with me.

And if I'm being completely honest, being back up there made me miss it SO much. The weather (we didn't even see snow!), the people, the places, so very many memories.

We met my friend Jeannie for coffee, last time I saw her, she met Jax, when we were up in Illinois for her wedding, and Jax was about 6 months old.

That night my sister, Jory & I headed downtown because my friend Gabi lives in the city. I hadn't seen her since GRADUATION so I basically needed to get a Gabi fix. And what better place to do it than downtown Chicago?? She's a total city girl now and took us to a great little hole-in-the-wall Italian place for dinner.

I wore Jory in the Beco and she crashed out. I put it on before I put my coat on and just wrapped my coat around her so she was toasty warm and didn't even notice how freezing it was outside.

Gabi showed us this adorable little bakery where we got the most amazing brownie I've had in my life.

Eating at the Italian place! It was really really good, but Julie ordered a salad and apparently they replaced "lettuce" with "olives, because that's basically all she got. And she doesn't even like olives, lol.

Creepy face, yes, but I always love coming down to the Bean!

Looking out at this view always takes my breath away, especially at night. So amazing!

The next day, we 3 headed to Watseka to see Trav's family! We couldn't very well go to Illinois and NOT see them, so we took our rental car down to their town about 2.5 hours south of my aunt's place. We had so much fun seeing them & I got to see my friend Myranda & her two adorable littles as well (she lives semi-close to Watseka) so it was a very fun day.

I don't have any pictures to show for it though because Julie's camera was dying and we wanted it for pictures of the shower the next day, but my MIL took a lot, I need to get them!

Don't ask me (or Julie) about the trip back up from Watseka, though. That turned into a 6 hour ordeal that contained the following:
Jory SCREAMING almost the whole way. (girlfriend hates the car, maybe more than ever)
Practically witnessing a fatal accident and seeing a man dragged from a flipped van.
Getting lost downtown (where we weren't even supposed to be...thanks iPhone navigation.)
Sisters yelling at each other.
Driving an hour with the radio full blast on static in an attempt to mimic Jory's sound machine (it didn't work, BTW.).
And a near nervous breakdown on the parts of all 3 of us.

Needless to say, when we finally did find our way back to my aunt's house, we were so thankfully to be alive and out of that car.

But, aside from that debacle, Jory was a seriously happy traveler. She still had some stranger danger but overall she looked like this:

Sunday was the shower! This is my mom, my aunt, and their mom, all ready to head to the shower.

It was at this beautiful country club:

Dorene & Jory at the shower. She got Jory this cute little outfit, and look! They match!

Jory sizing up her Uncle Ross. She's not so sure, lol.

We pretty much went from the shower to the airport. So sad that it was such a short trip, and I didn't get to see everyone that I wanted to, but we will be back up later this year to do so! I was SO ready to get home and hug my boys.

Happy traveler on the plane coming home! (ps-amber teething necklaces are AMAZING. Not gonna lie, I thought it was a bunch of hocus pocus but Jory is a much happier baby & sleeps much better when she wears it. Win!)

Our plane got in around midnight. I think Julie was delirious?

We went to my parents' house that night & I drove home with the kids next day. My living room looked like this:

Yep, that's a potty in the middle of the living room! More on that soon!

Slacking.

2012-01-25T01:29:00.000-06:00

I have really been bad about blogging lately.

I have been swamped with work, which is totally wonderful of course, but January has been busy busy busy for our family with lots of travels, visitors & as of this morning, sickness (yes, again.).

So blogging has taken a back seat, since I have been up til at least 4am every.single.night. for the last 3 weeks just trying to keep up. Then my kids start waking around 8, or 9 if I'm lucky. Yeah, total zombie here.

I'm aware that that's not healthy at all, and (I know I say this about it all the time but) I'm working on it. Scheduling and time management hasn't always been a strength for me, but I have no choice but to make it one so I'm trying to get my ducks in a row, my babies deserve a well-rested & happy mama, I know that much.

I have lots to share, about our trip to Chicago, potty training, and a certain upcoming birthday party that should be pretty fun. And lots of JJD changes (BIG changes) coming soon to my website. Hopefully I'll be back around the blogging world soon.

Oh, and I just want to say thank you to those who replied to my Mothering & Healing post, via comment & email. I received so many touching stories and I so appreciate knowing I'm not alone in my feelings. Big hugs, mamas.

Jory is 5 months old!

2012-01-17T03:00:00.003-06:00

So yeah, my resolution to "blog more" is going well, lol. In my defense, I've been doing things like traveling to Chicago and also drowning in work, as well as spitup & other bodily fluids (helloooo potty training...more on that later, I so don't want to jinx this.).

Anyway, my girl is 5 months old! You realize that's only a month (and since this post is late, more like 3 weeks) until her half birthday. I can't believe she's almost 6 months old!

She's the happiest baby I know and makes us smile a million times a day...see videos below to get a look at her latest antics. Seems like she will do anything to get a laugh out of us! ;)

Like I said, she doesn't ever stay on her back for long....

So as I mentioned, Jory loves to put things on her face. Her baby doll, a burp cloth, a blanket, really anything she can grab while she's laying down. She pulls it up onto her face then gasps over and over (while smiling!) and flailing her arms and legs. SO WEIRD. I've talked to a few other moms whose babies did this and apparently (& thankfully) it's just a passing phase, haha.

And the fake cough! She totally just wants attention, we happily oblige. :)

We love you sweet Jory Lynn!

On Mothering & Healing

2012-01-03T02:15:00.001-06:00

Over Christmas weekend, while sharing a room with Jax at my Grandparents' house, I laid next to him as he slept. I kissed his head, and noticed that his hair has become coarse, not baby-fine and silky smooth like it once was. I ran my hand over his. It felt different, older. Still small, of course, but so much bigger than the impossibly small and impossibly smooth hands that I once held in the NICU, when I met this boy for the first time, at a time when holding his hand felt so inadequate and all I wanted to do was pick up his tiny, frail body and hold him close.

Sometimes, I feel like I don't even remember him being a baby. Like his babyhood just flew past, without me taking time to really savor it and soak it in.

And I could actually swear that upon walking into my hospital room after I had Jory, he became a boy, and gone were any traces of babyhood. I'm sure the way short, big boy haircut didn't help matters, but my heart broke a bit upon seeing him that day.

I felt like I had missed out, in those 9 very difficult months of being pregnant with Jory. I felt like I had missed things he did that signaled this change was coming, things that mamas are supposed to be involved in. I learned just how many things you can miss out on by being in bed or on the couch all day, and not being nearly as involved with the first half of his second year as I would have liked to.

This disconnect isn't new to me though, unfortunately. As I've mentioned, I dealt with PPD/PPA/PTSD related to his birth injury and prematurity, and I honestly never felt fully bonded to Jax, like he was really mine for at least his whole first year. I spent that year worrying about him, thinking of how things could have ended so much worse, reenacting the events in my mind, and wishing things had gone drastically different than they did.

His birth and start to life left me feeling helpless, as did my inability to breastfeed him, so I guess that motif just continues? I don't want it to. I need to remind myself that this is the same small person who poked my ribcage every morning at 5am sharp when he was my "belly monster". He's mine. He needs me. and right now? He loves me best, tied with his daddy of course. I'm his mom and nothing can change that. Not NICUs, not bad memories, not bedrest, not time.

I do know one thing, this time is completely the opposite, as I wanted more than anything for it to be. I often heard fellow NICU moms say "the only thing that will heal your heart from leaving your baby in the NICU is having one that you get to take home with you". And honestly? I didn't believe it. I didn't believe anything could erase the hurt from the hole in my heart for the birth experience that was just so very wrong.

But thankfully, those mamas were so right. I'm whole again. My heart is healed/healing. And as my mom pointed out recently, I'm infinitely happier than I ever was before.

Not because I love her more, because I assure you, those babies have my heart equally divided. I just feel so connected to her, so bonded, so crazy, lovestruck, blissed-out happy about the whole thing that I am a better mom to both of them for it.

It's taught me that when either of them cries, it's ME they want. Nobody else knows them like I do, and nobody ever will. It's taught me that babyhood goes so freaking fast that if I don't take time to park myself in a rocking chair with her and sniff her little head, before I know it she will be a big 2 year old that wouldn't dream of falling asleep on me. It's taught me that my arms are where my baby belongs.

One thing I have noticed lately is how different my children are. Maybe it sounds hokey, but I think their sleeping styles, and maybe even their personalities speak to how they spent their first minutes, days, weeks of life.

Jax spent his first weeks of life in a NICU bed. He was poked, prodded, moved by nurses, but only rarely held by me. He wasn't touched unless he needed to be, as nurses assured me that he would recover and grow best undisturbed. When he came home, he slept best swaddled, in a pitch black room, with a sound machine and no one touching him or near him. He put himself to sleep and he liked it that way. And aside from the swaddle, none of that has changed. Sure, it made for an awesome sleeper, I will say I appreciated never having the problems I heard other moms lamenting about.

However, again with the bonding. There's something so amazing about rocking your baby to sleep, and as pathetic as it is, I can't recall doing that once with Jax (which makes me cry to realize).

Jory? Totally different. She spent her first weeks in my arms. She was put there right after birth and we could hold her whenever we wanted, which believe you me, after our experience with Jax, was pretty much constantly. She slept in her cozy Rock N Play Sleeper right by me, but we would doze off after feedings and she always slept infinitely better snuggled close, right next to me. She hates the dark and cries if the room goes black, although like her brother, loves the sound machine. She will fall asleep pretty much anywhere, as long as she's close to me.

I rock her to sleep for every nap & bedtime.

So I take waaay too many pictures.

I "hold her too much" (not my words, I assure you).

She already has a bit of Stranger Danger and prefers for me to hold
her over anyone else.

And we cosleep, which my mom happens to think is more dangerous than a baby riding in a car without a carseat, but I digress. I love it. Trav loves it. Jory loves it. And her room is "all the way" upstairs, and since she does feed a couple times a night, she's not going to sleep up there since I have no intentions of trudging up the stairs several times a night.

None of this bothers me one tiny bit.

Call it bad habits if you want, I say it all goes too fast and I highly doubt I'll look back and say "Ugh, I wish I hadn't rocked Jory so much as a baby. I wish I would have held her less." I was talking to a friend lately whose children are both grown and have families of their own and told her about this and she said "Oh no no no. Don't put her down. I don't know how often I think 'If I could just hold my baby ONE more time...'"

Because she's right. I know I'll feel that way some day. I don't want to miss a second.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T23:36:00.001-06:00

Meant to do this yesterday, but here is our year 2011 in review, cause it was one of the best of my life. :)

January
We announced to the world that Jax would be a big brother!

February
Jax turned two and we had a choo choo birthday party to celebrate.

March

We found out that ParoBaby2.0 was a GIRL! Shopping and daydreaming of all things pink ensued.

April

My friend Shannon & her little guy, Dominic, came to visit!

May
Bedrest & Injections for me...my sister graduated (& had a birthday, I had to miss it!)

June
I finally finished Jory's birdie nursery.

Trav's sister came to help out while I was on bedrest.

July
Bedrest continued, but I managed to have maternity pics done at the start of July!

A fabillion trips to Labor & Delivery, but thankfully no baby this month.

August
We had a full term, bouncing baby girl! We also lost our sweet girl Bella. Most bittersweet month ever.

September
Jory's grandma Tina came & met her for the first time

October
My kiddies were a blue monster & a watermelon for Halloween

November
We went to my parents' for Thanksgiving

December

We went to south Texas to my grandparents' house for Christmas.

Wishing you all a very happy & healthy 2012!

Sew Crafty

2011-12-29T15:47:00.001-06:00

I must have been on the "nice" list this year because I sure did get spoiled at Christmas! My parents gave me a sewing machine & my grandma gave me a Cricut...and my mother-in-law gave me a bunch of cartridges and paper packs to go with it! AND my other grandma gave me some money which I will probably be spending on fun fabrics, once I am sure that I won't ruin them with my ~~fantastic~~ terrible sewing skills. Talk about a crafty new year!

I love them both!

The Cricut seems super fun & I am already brainstorming the fun things I can make for upcoming baby showers & birthday parties! I'm still getting the hang of it but it seems pretty user friendly, and all the cartridges I have so far are adorable!

The sewing machine...well that's another story. Love it? YES. But it's so intimidating to me. My sister is like an expert seamstress (seriously, she makes her own clothes, it's crazy.) and tried to give me a crash course while she was staying here last week.

Let's just say that she tried to teach me how to sew a ruffle...and hers is on the right, mine is on the left. Nailed it. (We were practicing using my old sheets from college, hence the weird gnome & taxi, haha.)

So yeah, I have a LOT to learn. I'm told YouTube videos will be very helpful in learning how to sew. I can sew a straight line! (or semi-straight, lol.) That's something, right? Hopefully once the new year rolls around and things die down I will have more time to teach myself & play around with it!

because some onesies apply to both of my kids.

2011-12-29T02:34:00.000-06:00

& this one was made for Jax by our sweet photog/friend Sarah. Isn't it adorable?? She gave it to me at Jax's baby shower. :)

Guess who decided to start smiling! in front of the camera! YAY! Quite the lovely new development. :) :)

Christmas photo dump!

2011-12-27T11:41:00.000-06:00

We had a great little "fake" Christmas here on the morning of the 23rd, then headed down to south Texas to visit my grandparents for the weekend. Jory HATES the car, so the 8 hour drive each way made me a little crazy, but we made it there & back, yay! :)

We woke up to a fire a-blazin' on the morning of our fake Christmas. I sat on the couch with some Starbucks, Jory snuggles and a big blanket while I watched Jax come downstairs and light up when he saw what was waiting for him. Nothing better!

Jax was soooo excited when he came downstairs and saw the tricycle! Granted, he wasn't quite sure how to get on the thing, and his feet are just barely too short to pedal but he'll get it in time. :) He loves it! Thanks Papa!!!!

This was definitely the funnest year yet for opening presents. Made me very excited for his upcoming birthday!

His favorite gift by far is this set of Cars 2 monster trucks that I got on DisneyStore.com on their Cyber Monday sale! He started shaking when he opened it, he was so excited! I may have teared up. :)

And when we got there, Jax saw the pile of presents & dug right in, haha. He's an old pro now, apparently.

My grandparents live on a golf course so they got Jax his own golf club! (crappy pic but you get the idea)

Jory & her Uncle Travis...pretty thankful to be out of that carseat!

I just love a baby sink bath!! :)

We had to pose Jory in the doll chair again in her Christmas J outfit. :)

Jory with her grandma and her great grandma!

(no, we didn't keep headphones on her...just for a pic. but maybe that would've quieted her down? ;))

It was so nice to get to spend time with my grandparents and was all in all a fun trip, but we sure were happy to get out of that car!

My pretty girl!

2011-12-27T11:01:00.002-06:00

My grandma gave Jory several tiny antique doll chairs for Christmas, and I'm so excited for her to have these when she is old enough to play with baby dolls!

We also went through old dresses that my mom & my aunt wore and of course had to try them on Jory...and pose her in the doll chair too. ;)

Time flies, yeah?

2011-12-27T01:25:00.000-06:00

Jory used to sleep in the Rock N Play for every nap & bedtime, and is now growing out of it, I think. She still fits in it and could still use it (I LOVE that thing..) but prefers to sleep on her belly so it doesn't get much use.

I had to do a comparison picture to one of her first times in it though.

One week old & 4 months old.

I do miss my itty bitty newborn but I am totally loving the chubby cuddly girl I currently have! :)

Merry Christmas!!

2011-12-25T23:41:00.001-06:00

Photo OVERLOAD. & Overdue Update.

2011-12-22T23:54:00.000-06:00

Wow, how much do I suck at blogging lately? December has me seriously running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Between the holiday card orders, normally scheduled blogs, holiday shenanigans, trying to be all Martha Stewart and crafty, and oh yeah, those two little pipsqueaks I call my children. No time to breathe.

So here's a bit of what we've been up to.

We went out of town to my parents' house where Jax got a billion presents that he absolutely loves, like this helicopter! My sister rode back to our house with us & is here for the week. (Most pictures in this post are thanks to her & her fancy new DSLR camera!)

We crafted some festive lanterns out of dixie cups, scrapbook paper & a strand of twinkle lights. VOILA, holiday garland. And I'm totally going to swap out the cups for each season & keep this up year round. Love it!!!

We have made these like 3 times in the last few weeks. SO easy and so delicious. (I promise they're not orange chocolate like the last picture looks, that one is just blown out but the only one I have of the final product, lol.)

Just as with the past few years, I'm doing this holiday on a budget. That's a lot of gifts, with very little cash money, so I have taken to craftiness for many of them, and I kind of love the results. (Thanks Kelle Hampton for the amazing idea here!) I won't share all of the gifts, of course, because most recipients read this blog, but here's a cute one I made for my tween/teen sisters-in-law.

And the adults aren't the only ones being crafty....

My Mamaw & Papaw Westerbur sent some goodies for the kids, how ADORABLE is this Thomas apron she made for Jax?? He loves it! He thinks it's time to make cookies every time he wears it. & Jory got her first baby doll! I was obsessed with baby dolls as a kid so this made me swoon a bit.

So yeah, my sister is here! She was VERY sick with some kind of disgusting stomach bug but is thankfully better and the rest of us are thus far in the clear! ::knocks fervently on wood & crosses crossables that we don't get it while out of town this weekend.::

We've been doing all sorts of cozy things. Like roasting marshmallows and drinking hot chocolate and making sugar cookies.

And tomorrow we leave town to head to south Texas for the weekend to be with my grandparents. We are calling tonight "Christmas eve" here and did the whole she-bang with leaving cookies for Santa and food for the reindeer sprinkled on the driveway. (What? That's a real thing! Oats + Sugar + Glittery Sprinkles = reindeer food!)

Trav's parents sent a boatload of presents down for us so we will open those in the morning, so very excited. :) Also, how CUUUUTE are these buttflap jammies my MIL ordered for the babies?

And although the tantrums are a-plenty, I'm told Jax is on the "Nice" list this year...

Big girl practicing sitting! Still totally wobbly but it won't be long!

So merry "fake" christmas eve...excited to see what Santa brought!

Friday Phone Dump (told you I wouldn't be able to do it every week, lol.):

Jory is 4 months old! (belated!)

2011-12-15T21:48:00.001-06:00

This is like the latest monthday post EVER (her monthdays are on the 7th) but I couldn't find the stinkin monkey for the longest time so we couldn't do them til Trav found him today! :)

She's rolling back to belly like a pro now! It's pretty much non-stop. And of course she hates to be on her belly so when she gets on her belly and can't roll back over, she gets mad.

Do you kind of want to bite those thighs? The chunk is deliciously adorable. :)

Twinkle Lights Pictures!

2011-12-03T22:02:00.002-06:00

Thank you, Pinterest! I know everyone and their mama is doing these but I wanted to give them a shot and I kind of love the effect, even though I have the most sewious baby on the face of the planet, apparently, as there was not one single smile the whole time.

(I know this one isn't in focus but I love it anyway.) Santa said whaaaat???

(Jax is very sick & vomiting today so this is the best I could get of him. I think I may try it again when both kiddos are healthy. :-\)

Here's our setup, using the headboard of our bed. It's not pretty, but hey, it works!

I think that one thing you need to know in order to try these is that you'll have to have a lens like the 50mm 1.8 or 1.4, which automatically blurs the background, or a similar one that can do that. Otherwise you'd just see the strings of lights behind them, which isn't the look you're going for!

Also super important, as always, NATURAL LIGHT IS BEST FOR PICTURES so definitely don't use an on-board flash for these...it was dark & rainy today so I used my Speedlight for a more natural effect. :)

Oh and I have seen a few of these done with the bluish LED lights and I gotta say, I prefer the plain white ones for these pics!

Jory's Reindeer hat is from here and her red headband is from here (I don't think either item is listed but contact them to order. ;)). I have such crafty sweet friends!

Maternity, Birth & Newborn Pics

2011-12-01T00:15:00.001-06:00

I know the general consensus is probably that video slideshows are a teeny bit boring, but I have so many professional pictures to share that I feel like your finger would fall off from scrolling so much if I put them all here on the blog, so this is the easiest way.

I just got them back because Sarah is amazing and this is a total of around 24 hours of actual shooting, I believe, since she was there for the birth, so LOTS of editing too!

I promise it's worth it though, I still have to pinch myself because I can't believe how awesome it has all been and that I did get my full term baby. You may notice that I used the same song for her birth pictures that I did in Jax's first year videos of his birth (Safe & Sound by Matthew West) but it's just waaaay too applicable to my pregnancy and birth with Jory not to use. :)

I made like 4 of these for Jax's first months but I think Jory may just be getting this one and her 1 year video!

Our Favorite Baby Products {Newborn Edition}

2011-11-28T23:47:00.002-06:00

Hey moms, ever buy a product for the first time and discover just how awesome it is and how much easier it makes your life and feel like shouting it from the rooftops? Yeah, that's how I feel about everything I'll mention here.

These are basically just things that are on the market that I had to discover for myself in my almost 3 years of parenting. And half of them? I wish I'd discovered a lot sooner than I did.

Of course, every family and every baby is very different, so they may not all work for you, but here's my two cents about the "must have" baby products for when your wee one first arrives. (Aside from the obvious necessities, of course. ;))

Homedics SoundSpa Lullaby

This is my favorite product, by far, and I highly recommend it to all parents of babies. In my group of mamafriends, we refer to this gem as the "Baby Crack Machine", but it's a sound machine and projector, the Homedics SoundSpa Lullaby.

Both of my kids love the "rain" sound, and Jory is just starting to enjoy the projector. Honestly, I got a lot more use out of the sound machine, but the projector was nice when we did the "drowsy but awake" sleep method with Jax (that kept us from needing to "sleep train", YAY.)...he liked to watch the cows or sea creatures dance on the ceiling or the wall by his crib. :)

Fisher Price Rock N Play Sleeper

This tiny piece of heaven was NOT around when Jax was little. It's a portable bed (I frankly don't understand the "play" part of it; seems like it would be a bit boring for a baby to play in.) that folds flat very easily, is super lightweight, rocks back and forth, keeps baby at an incline, is easily washable, and can be pulled right up next to your bed. Need I say more?

When I had Jax, we used a Pack N Play in our room and while the changing pad attachment was nice, the thing took up so much room, and he had reflux so laying flat wasn't really helpful. I wish this thing had been invented back then!

Someone told me they heard this item causes flat heads, but Jory always sleeps in it on one of her sides or with her head turned to the side, she's not constantly in the same position, so I really doubt it will be a problem for us.

Of course, that contraption isn't going to carry your baby through toddlerhood, so that brings me to...

Chicco Lullaby Playard

(Again, zero playing in this thing for us, only sleeping) First off, I really can't say enough good things about Chicco products. I totally love them.

They're only slightly more expensive than Graco, but (in my opinion) look about 10x nicer and are much better quality and will last you through several kids. You're going to be seeing a lot of these items, might as well make them pretty, right? ;)

We love our Chicco version of a Pack N Play. Jax only recently outgrew the size limit on it, which is fine, as he sleeps best in a bed now anyway, but it has served us so well for the past 2.5 years! We used it a ton with him and it's still in awesome condition. It has a bassinet feature (shown here) and a removable toy arch thing (also shown here) and that thing on the side is a changing table that flips up to the top for easy diaper changes. The bassinet drops down for when they're older and the changing part can be zipped off.

Nuk Button Pacifiers

When I was pregnant with Jax, I got him Nuk pacifiers, I guess mainly because that's what my mom always used with us, but I didn't really think twice about it.

When he was in the NICU, I brought several different kinds to see which he liked best. The neonatologists emphasized that because of his head injury, long crying jags that got him really worked up could make his head worse, and there wasn't always a nurse around to pop a paci back in. sidenote: There are few worse feelings in the world than walking into a NICU and hearing your baby wailing away with no one around to soothe him. :(

The "Soothies" or "Gumdrop" kind they gave us would not stay in his mouth. I guess maybe because it's just a long cylinder and other pacifiers have a bulb shape at the end of the nipple?

Anyway, he took to Nuks right away and could keep them in his mouth, and has used them ever since (still does at bedtime, judge away.).

With Jory, I got Nuks but decided to try the button kind rather than the ones with the little handle flap thing [technical term, of course] and I am so glad I did! She flails her arms and reaches up around her face a lot and always manages to get a finger through the handle thing and pop it out, so the button ones stay in much longer, I LOVE them.

Kiddopotamus Swaddlers

Before I even mention swaddlers, let me tell you this: generations like your parents/in-laws might try to act like a swaddle is a "straightjacket" or a torture device for your baby. And yeah, I guess the pictures may look like it (if you ignore the fact that all babies are 100% content in them...), but most newborns love to be swaddled as it reminds them of the womb. And a blanket is perhaps more aesthetically pleasing and snuggly looking, but an actual swaddler or swaddle blanket will make your life infinitely easier, promise.

The Kiddopotamus ones are what worked best for us with Jax. Comfy, washes well, decent quality, and allows for a snug swaddle while fitting a range of sizes.

The Woombie

However, for Jory, several people suggested I try a Woombie. I watched mamabargains.com until they had them and snagged two for half price. This is what she did within 30 seconds of me putting her in it for the first time:

She loved it! They're pretty stretchy too so each size lasts for a decent while, and the quality really impressed me. Plus, it's much easier than a swaddler or swaddle blanket, just zip it up!!

Aden + Anais Swaddle Blankets

This is one of the products I was unaware of when Jax was a baby and I so wish I would've discovered them sooner! I don't know how you can have a small baby in the summer and not have them. They're muslin fabric, so they're very gauzy and lightweight (great for TX summers!) and they're huge, perfect for swaddling.

I think we've used one just about every day since Jory was born. Plus, she's between liking being swaddled and preferring to sleep with her arms out, so these work well for a loose swaddle for naps.

Carter's Sleep Sacks

Once your baby gets to be a few months old, they may either prefer tummy sleeping or think that swaddling is for the birds. I always worry about letting them sleep with a blanket, but then I worry that they'd be cold, so this is the perfect solution. It's cozy fleece, so it will keep them warm (even their arms, unlike most sleep sacks) and there's no risk of it getting up around their face! Plus, it's one size, so this fit Jax through about 1 year, I believe.

Video Monitor

I feel like it doesn't matter which one you get (although we have the first one pictured below now, and would like to get a different one for Jory that can transmit the image to our phones) but these suckers are AWESOME for peace of mind.

And if you put it close enough you can literally see their little chest rising and falling which is great if you're like me and are paranoid (rightfully so after his not-breathing spells) with your baby sleeping away from you.

I know this isn't totally a necessity, but babies make so many strange noises, especially when they're small, that I'd be constantly running in to look at him/her if I couldn't just glance at the monitor and see that they're snoozing away peacefully.

Plus, with a toddler? You have NO idea the random things they will do in their room when you transition them out of a crib so this has been perfect for seeing what my little stinker is up to. ;)

Chicco Keyfit 30 Carseat

Again with the Chicco awesomeness. We LOVE this seat. As I mentioned before, I think their products are just better looking than Graco (unless you're dumb like me and put it in the dryer so that the warning label melts halfway off, haha.) and the fact that it can hold the baby up to 30 lbs is nice.

I always hear moms say "Well who wants to lug around a 30 lb baby anyway?!" That's not the point. If you don't want to lug it around, leave it in the car, exactly as you would for a convertible carseat.

This seat just extends the amount of time that you can use an infant bucket seat and makes it so you don't have to buy the convertible before they're 1 year old.

Jax reached the 22 lb limit of most infant seats long before I was ready to buy another carseat, and he was able to stay in this one right up until his first birthday.

Summer Infant Bath Sling

You know those bulky baby bathtubs? Both my babies hated them as newborns. When they're so small, those tubs usually keep them up out of the water so that they get cold and, understandably, pissed. These slings are amaaaazing because you can stick them in a regular bath tub and fill it with water so that they're immersed in it and stay warm.

Granted, I did like putting Jax in the baby bathtub (in the empty regular tub) once he could sit up but wasn't "sturdy" enough to do so in the tub without support.

For Jax, we had a $7 cheapo one from Walmart that didn't have the netting on the sides, the reclining feature, or the comfy headrest (which is removable). We got the pink one below for Jory & love it just as much as I thought we would!

Gap or Old Navy Baby Socks

This may be one of those "every baby is different" things, but both my babies have had long, skinny feet. All newborn socks seem to be super short and wide, so they just came right off their feet. The ones from Gap and Old Navy are the ONLY socks I have found that would stay on either kid as a newborn...love them!

Gripe Water

Jory constantly had hiccups in my belly. I think I even felt them as early as 14 wks or something, and she got them multiple times a day. Once she was born, she continued to get them! I think she got hiccups every time she ate, and not much would make her cry as a newborn but hiccups always made her MAD. A tiny bit of Gripe Water & they were gone. So awesome!

This stuff has also worked better for my kids than Mylicon (gas drops) and always seems to settle unhappy tummies. Definite necessity to have on hand!

Snap N Go Stroller

This is a stroller that is just a frame, and your carseat snaps into it. It weighs next to nothing so it's super easy to open and close with one hand, and is SOOO great for quick trips anywhere with a tiny baby.

I sold ours from when Jax was little and immediately regretted it upon having Jory. So, I did what any thrifty mama would do and scored on Craigslist in perfect condition for $15.

Quick trips like to the chiropractor and even to Target for a few things are easy peasy with this stroller. The basket is nice and large and it has cupholders and a compartment on top.

One thing I'm glad I took into consideration when buying for Jax is that GENDER SPECIFIC BABY GEAR IS STUPID if you plan on having more children.

Sure, that pink carseat with flowers may look adorable with your sweet girl in it, but if you have more children and wind up with a boy? I bet you'll want something different. The same goes for strollers, pack n plays, swings, pretty much everything you don't want to have to buy again when the next baby comes. I'm so glad we stuck to neutrals like red, yellow & green, for this reason! We got a pink bath seat this time but those things aren't very expensive and our old one got kind of gross so I'm guessing we'll toss ours when Jory is done with it and get another for the next baby.

So those are products we are LOVING for up to the age Jory is now! I may do a similar post as she gets bigger and I discover more awesome stuff y'all just have to hear about! ;)

Happy Turkey Day!

2011-11-23T02:30:00.000-06:00

We're at my parents' to celebrate Thanksgiving but I thought I'd share some vintage Jax Turkey Day pics and a cute video of him too. :)

2009

this is the day after but I love this pic of him & my dad mowing

2010

& we have a new little turkey to join us for the festivities this year, yay!

A dresser in the living room? Say whaaat?

2011-11-21T02:16:00.004-06:00

I mentioned like forever ago that I was redoing my living room. We swapped out some of our massive, dark furniture for some lighter hues and the difference amazes me.

I'm not sure why I felt like I had to stick with darker tones, but turquoise is my favorite color as of late and seeing it throughout the room makes me happy. I realize I'm no interior designer and this "look" may not be everyone's cup o' tea, but I totally love it.

Before: (Oh my gosh. How did I think the room would have any light with a giant dark brown armoire and a couch in front of the only window??)

And after!!

The pictures over the couch are all thrifted, I showed the "before" in this post. We've got 4 new frames to add & I think we're painting them the same color as the dresser. I love that we can just keep adding to it!

My mantle is now bare, in that weird in-between stage between fall & winter decor since I took our fall stuff down today, but here's a picture of what part of it usually looks like.

So on to the title of this post. A dresser! In the living room! I told my husband I was hunting on Craigslist for an old dresser to put in the living room. I believe he looked at me like I had 3 heads. But he fully admits to loving it now! It's awesome for storage and I think the color adds a little spunk to the room. (It's called Mint Whisper {lol} by Valspar and we left the hardware the way it originally was...for now anyway.)

Here's the dresser before & after. I believe this was one of those French Provincial pieces that was super popular for little girls' rooms in the 80s? I hunted on CL for FIVE MONTHS and finally I saw this one a few minutes after it was listed (Thank you, Craigslist app.) and snagged it for $35. Can't beat that.

& STORAGE! I keep socks for both kids, headbands, & shoes in the top drawer to grab as we're running out the door to save me a trip up the stairs if I'm in a hurry. This bad boy also holds diapers & wipes, burp cloths, extra outfits & the bottom drawer is for Jax's books.

Call me lazy but if Jory barfs everywhere I don't feel like hiking up to her room for a burp cloth & change of clothes. ;)

On one of my thrifting trips while pregnant, I decided to make my own cloche.

I'd seen them in stores and online but I didn't feel like shelling out $30 for something I could make myself. I pieced together a candlestick, a smallish plate and a cheese dome (or something, whatever the glass thing on top is...cake dome?).

A guy shopping next to me looked at me in awe and said "WOW that is so cool, I never would have thought to put those things together!" Haha that's Pinterest for ya, brings out a creative side in everyone!

Anyway, some E6000 glue, some black spray paint, and voila, cloche.

You may have spotted the tiny nugget chillin' on the couch. She was just begging to have her picture taken, so I of course obliged. ;) She might be disrespecting the turkey (I stupidly bought 0-3 month Christmas jammies thinking I'd have a peanut of a baby girl...gotta put them on her while they still fit!) but she looks pretty cute while doing it!

Friday Phone Dump (on a Saturday)

2011-11-19T23:32:00.000-06:00

This week has been a bit crazy, and honestly didn't end all that well, but such is life.

Highlights:
* My mom was here for Trav's birthday and stayed through Monday.
* Jax & I got new shoes!
* We went through all of Jax's toys and piled up LOTS to give away to a shelter (since some people don't even have the means or money to buy thrift store toys, hoping this will ensure some sweet little boys have a very nice Christmas!)
* We're using some tough love tactics to get Jax to eat. So far, it's done nothing.
* Lots of playing and loving and snuggling.
* Jory started batting at and grabbing toys for the first time! Of course anything she can get in her hand goes directly to the mouth.
* More shoes! Trav gave me my bday gift a week early, some super cute TOMS!
* World Prematurity Awareness day! I treated my preemie to Chick Fil A and we all wore purple.
* We began the dresser makeover...excited to see the finished product! (& Jory wore the hardware as a mustache, because why not?)

More Fall Goodness

2011-11-17T03:13:00.000-06:00

You know how I said I wanted to be bigger on fall traditions? I've been doing some fun crafts and things with Jax and he loves it, so I obviously need to find more ideas!

Apple Stamps

Handprint Turkey

Nature Walk - If we're being honest here, this was totally just me & Jax wandering around our yard with buckets while Jory napped on a very windy morning. We gathered sticks, rocks, leaves, and the occasional corn husk (we live super close to cornfields and got all of the dead corn in our backyards during the drought on windy days). And? He totally loved it.

I keep meaning to post pics of my fall decor, and it's practically winter now, but here goes. I always love seeing people's seasonal decor. I mainly only decorate for fall & winter, but I am trying to do more for Valentine's Day, 4th of July, etc.

(yes, these are Instagram pictures. I kind of felt like maybe the filter I used would help hide the dustbunnies? ;))

Do you decorate for fall? Take some pics & blog them, and leave a link for me to see! Quick, before winter gets here! ;)

Speaking of decor, remember how I said I was redoing my living room & never got around to posting more pictures? That's because I've spent the last 5 months scouring craigslist for the perfect finishing touch.

I'll go ahead and tell you that this is the before shot...how much potential does this thing have?? I KNOW. Post coming soon, promise.

Happy Birthday, Trav!

2011-11-17T01:40:00.001-06:00

Trav turned 26 on Sunday!

To celebrate, the night before, my mom took us out to eat at Macaroni Grill. Pictures were necessary beforehand, because we were all dressed in ~~presentable~~ clothes!

Not sure what Trav is doing with her arm, but Daddy-Daughter pics are always cute, no?

I love this cute outfit!

We totally bribed him with candy and STILL couldn't get a normal picture, haha. :)

Last year, my parents got tickets for Trav and I to go to a Cowboys game and they kept Jax for the day.

This year, Trav got some free tickets from work (so awesome!) and took Jax to a Cowboys game with some of his coworkers. He said they both really enjoyed it and Jax is still mentioning "big football game" here and there. :) I'm sure that since Trav is so into football (he played in college) that it made him feel good to bring his little guy to his first real football game!

Happy birthday, Trav! I hope it was one of your best yet. :)